Read the new words according to the transcription, mind their pronunciation and meaning.

1. to dispose of	располагать чем либо
2. resource	ресурсы, запасы, ископаемые
3. abundance	изобилие, богатство
4. to distinguish	различать, выделять
5. deposits	залежи, месторождение
6. stocks	запасы
7. saturation	насыщенность
8. extraction	добывание, разработка
9. purity	чистота
10. industrial waste	промышленные отходы
11. to contain	содержать
12. mining industry	горная промышленность
13. blacksmith’s and press equipment	кузнечное и прессовое оборудование
14. boring devices	буровое оборудование
15. cast iron	чугун
16. rolled goods	прокат
17. head of cattle	поголовье скота
18. food stuffs	продовольственные товары
19. wheat	пшеница
20. sun-flower seeds	подсолнечник
21. gourds	бахчевые культуры

 

Pay attention to the meaning of the words, belonging to the group of mineral resources. Mind their pronunciation.

1. oil	нефть
2. brown coal	бурый уголь
3. oil shale	сланец
4. ferrous metals	чёрные металлы
5. non-ferrous metals	цветные металлы
6. limestone	известняк
7. jasper	яшма
8. marble	мрамор
9. sand	песок
10. clay	глина
11. chalk	мел
12. gypsum	гипс
13. asbestos	асбест
14. crushed stone	щебень
15. precious metals	драгоценные металлы
16. nickel	никель
17. aluminum	алюминий
18. copper	медь

 

 Read the text. Translate it.

The Concise Reference of the Orenburg Region.

To the South-East of the European part of Russia on the River Ural lies the Orenburg region. It occupies a very favorable geographical position. The Orenburg region disposes of great amounts of mineral resources. Their variety and abundance distinguishes the Orenburg region not only in the country but also abroad. More than 2500 deposits of 75 economic minerals are explored in the Orenburg region. They are: gas, oil, brown coal, oil shale, ferrous metals, nonferrous metals, rare metals, stone salt, limestone, jasper, marble.

The unique gas condense deposit is characterized by gas saturation and high component variety.

There are a number of brown and stone coal deposits with balance stocks of nearly 800 million tons, greater part of them being suitable for open extraction.

The Orenburg region has white and grey marble deposits, the stocks being nearly 8 million cubic meters. There are also jasper deposits – 30 million cubic meters.

Building materials are also here: sands, clay, limestone, chalk, gypsum, asbestos, cursed stone.

The Sol-Iletsk stone salt deposit which is distinguished by the unique purity is of great importance, the stocks being 800 million tons.

The region disposes of great industrial waste stocks of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy and mining industry. The waste contains number of precious, ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

Enterprises of 70 industrial brunches situated in the region, export industrial production to more than 80 countries abroad. The leading part in the industrial structure belongs to the fuel and energy complex, machine-building, metallurgical brunches and agricultural enterprises.

Twenty enterprises of machine-building complex produce blacksmith’s and press equipment, boring, electrotechnical devices, means of transport.

Metallurgical enterprises produce non-ferrous metals ores, cast iron, ferrous metals rolled goods, nickel and aluminum, copper rolled goods.

The head of cattle comes to 1400 thousand. The region disposes of favourable conditions for food-stuffs production: high-quality wheat, milk, meat, sun-flower seeds, vegetables and fruit, gourds.

 

 Answer the questions to the text.

1. Where is Orenburg region situated?_____________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

2. What distinguishes the Orenburg region in the country and abroad?____________

_____________________________________________________________________

3. What mineral resources are extracted in the Orenburg region?________________

_____________________________________________________________________

4. What is the unique gas condense deposits famous for?______________________

_____________________________________________________________________

5. What are the characteristics of the Orenburg gas deposits?___________________

_____________________________________________________________________

6. Are there any building materials in the Orenburg region?____________________

_____________________________________________________________________

7. What enterprises are the most important in our region?_____________________

_____________________________________________________________________

8. What food-stuffs are produced in the Orenburg region?_____________________

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Arrange items for plan according to text.

1. Gas deposits in Orenburg.

2. Mineral resources in the Orenburg region.

3. The geographical position of the Orenburg region.

4. Orenburg region enterprises.

5. Agriculture in the Orenburg region.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Speak about the Orenburg region according to the plan.

Lesson 5

Read the text

Great Britain

 

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is situated on the British Isles.

Great Britain and Ireland are the largest islands and there are about five thousand small islands.

The North Sea, the Strait of Dover and the English Channel separate Great Britain from the continent.

The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands. There are numerous lakes in Scotland and they are called Lochs.

The north and west of England are also mountainous, but all the rest-east, centre and south-east is a vast plain. The South English plain is the richest, the most fertile and the most populated in the country. In the south-east one can see the most beautiful scenery in England and the largest fruit- producing county Kent which is often called “The Garden of England”.

The mountains in Great Britain are not very high. There are many rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames, which flows through rich agricultural districts into the North Sea, is the busiest and the most important river in England.

The climate of Great Britain is mild. The Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the weather of the British Isles. The summers are cool and rainy. It is not so hot in England as on the continent. July is the warmest month. But, of course, the climate is different in different parts of the country. In Scotland the climate is colder than in England. Great Britain has an area of 244.000 square kilometres and a population of more than 55 million. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

 

 

Great Britain is a highly developed capitalist and industrial country. It is a large producer of iron and steel products, electronics and machinery, chemicals and textiles. It has a highly developed shipbuilding industry.

Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources. It imports all of its oil, cotton, rubber, sulphur, four-fifths of its Wool, half of its food and iron ore. Manufactured goods made from these materials have been exported since the industrial age began.

Great Britain exports machinery, motor-cars, aircraft, locomotives, chemicals, Woolen and synthetic textiles, radio, TV and navigation equipment.

Great Britain has a lot of industrial cities, such as London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Sheffield, Bristol and many others.

Answer the questions:

1 What parts does the United Kingdom consist of?____________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

2 Is Great Britain a continent or an island?__________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

3 Which is the longest river in Great Britain?________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

4 Which is the most important river in England?_____________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

5 Are the mountains in Great Britain high?___________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

6 What can you say about the climate of Great Britain?________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

7 What is the territory and the population of Great Britain?_____________________

_____________________________________________________________________

8 What are the towns in Great Britain that you know?_________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

9 What are the main industrial centres of Great Britain?________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

10 What does this country produce?________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

 

Read the text  

 

 

London

 

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and commercial centre. It is one of the biggest and busiest ports of Great Britain. It is situated on both sides of the Thames, which is navigable, all the years round.

London is a very old city. It is more than twenty centuries old. London consists of many parts and they are very different from each other. They seem to belong to different towns and epochs.

The West End is a symbol of wealth and luxury. The best and the most expensive hotels, restaurants, clubs, theatres, cinemas, and the richest shops are there. There are beautiful houses and lovely gardens there belonging to wealthy people.

Trafalgar Square is in the geographical centre of London. It was so named to commemorate Admiral Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. The monument in the centre of the square is surmounted with a statue of Nelson. Its pedestal is decorated with bas-reliefs of famous naval battles. At the base of Nelson’s column are four great lions. The large platform at the foot is often used by the orators when there are large meetings and demonstrations.

On the north side of Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery, an art gallery housing the national collection of pictures, and the National Portrait Gallery housing the national collection of portraits, a great number of them being rather of historical interest than of genuine artistic value.

Whitehall, which leads out of the Square to the South, is the site of many Government offices, the Foreign Office, the War Office, and the Treasury.

A small, rather dull-looking street with ordinary houses branches of Whitehall. It is Downing Street where for the last 200 years at Number 10 each Prime Minister has lived.

At the end of Whitehall is Parliament Square with the Houses of Parliament on the left and Westminster Abbey half right (on the right).

Big Ben is the name given to the clock and bell of the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament.

Westminster Abbey is famous for its architecture, for its historic associations. Westminster Abbey has its world famous Poet’s Corner where many of the greatest English Writers are buried: Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Tennyson, Thomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling. Here, too, are memorials to Shakespeare,

Burns, Byron, Walter Scott, and Thackeray and to the great American poet Longfellow.

The City is the oldest part of London. It covers only about a square mile and few people live there, but over a million people enter the City in the day-time to work.

At the end of the day the businessmen, clerks and secretaries go home and the City becomes silent and empty. The City is the financial and business part of London. Numerous banks, officers and trusts are concentrated in this part. There are some famous ancient buildings with in the City, such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, Wren’s masterpiece, and the Tower of London which was built nine centuries ago and used as a royal place, a fortress and a political prison. Now it is a museum.

The East End is the poorest district of London. There are many factories, workshops and docks there. The streets are narrow, the houses are poor. It is a densely populated district where working-class families live.

London is the centre of Britain’s cultural life. There are many museums and art galleries in London: The National Gallery, the Portrait Gallery, the Tate Gallery, the Natural History Museum and many others. The British Museum is well-known as one of the largest museums in the world. It is really a history museum in the world. It is really a history museum. One can see there Egyptian statues, sphinxes, mummies, Roman sculpture, drawings and paintings. The museum has a rich library with copies of rare manuscripts.

Near the British Museum you can see the tall, handsome building of the University of London. It is the main building of the University. London University is divided into a number of colleges and schools scattered about in different parts of London. London University is the principal centre of post-graduate studies and research work.